Ramón Bermúdez recently published his report “Evolución de la temperatura en Lanzarote (1950-2008)” which found that the coldest annual average temperature was recorded in 1959 as 19.1ºC and the hottest annual average temperature was in 1997 with 22ºC .

Looking at the seasons these were the annual average highs and lows over the years:

Spring 16.8ºC (1960 & 1968) - 20.9ºC (1997)

Summer 21.1ºC (1959) - 25.4ºC (2004)

Autumn 20ºC (1959) - 23.9ºC (2006)

Winter 16.2ºC (1954) - 19ºC (1997)

The average annual temperature has risen by 1.4ºC over the last 58 years, the forecast for the next century is a rise of  2ºC – 3.5ºC depending upon the effect of the greenhouse gas emissions.

The Canary Islands have a current promotion in Europe called No Winter Blues,100 young ambassadors from around the islands have just been over to Reykjavik to promote the great winter climate in Iceland and 100 Icelanders have been selected to fly over here in return. This is a great video for the campaign featuring a polar bear enjoying his holidays in the sunshine!

The Lanzarote Gay Guide to Beaches in the Centre of the island……..

Costa Teguise

The resort of Costa Teguise has a selection of golden sandy beaches, Playa Las Cucharas is the biggest and popular with windsurfers, Playa del Jablillo is sheltered and Playa Bastian has zocos and palm trees. if you want to get away from the orange and blue umbrellas and rows of sunbeds head for the quieter beaches at either end of the resort - Playa Los Charcos or Playa del Ancla.

No gay or nudist beaches.

Famara

The beach at Famara is impressive, it stretches for miles so you’re always guaranteed to find a quiet spot no matter the amount of surfing schools holding training camps there. This isn’t a swimmers beach, you can go into the water but its advised to stay within your depth due to the rip tide that can occur and sweep you out to sea.

Although not listed as a gay or nudist beach, Famara is known for nudist accommodation particularly in the bungalows set into the bottom of the risco.

La Santa

The sea on this side of the island is rough, perfect for experienced surfers, but not for dipping in, however there are some lovely coves around the lagoon area on the island off La Santa. The lagoon is sheltered and perfect for learning to windsurf or kayak, the area is also great for group barbecues or crashing for the weekend in a tent although not an official campsite.

Not gay or nudist.

Arrecife

The capital of Lanzarote has a fantastic beach, right in the centre providing a perfect day out with shopping in the morning, light tapas lunch at one of the pavement cafés and then a siesta and swim on the beach! The main beach is Playa el Reducto with the palm trees and next to the Gran Hotel, not gay or nudist.

The smaller beach at the Castillo San Gabriel is recognised as gay.

Playa Honda

Playa Honda has a promenade and sandy beach that runs the length of this popular residential area, very Spanish with a great selection of tapas bars and restaurants to overlooking the waterfront.

The beach Playa Guacimeta to the side and end of the runway is known for being both nudist and gay.

Puerto del Carmen

The original resort of Lanzarote has 6km of beaches along the coast from Matagorda next to the airport through to the old harbour area. Playa Matagorda is long and thin and then widens out into Playa Los Pocillos, the main beach in the centre of the resort is Playa Grande and a small but popular beach for watersports is Playa Chica near the old town.

Not gay or nudist.

Please click here for our guide to the beaches in the North of Lanzarote.

Plus Car are the obvious choice for car hire in Lanzarote, you can be assured that your hire car will be new, as all of their fleet are under six months old. They have a fabulous range of cars available from a basic 3 door Corsa for those who just want to get out and about at low cost and for the more extravagant who would like to enjoy a bit of luxury for the week there’s even a choice of Mercedes SLK.

Why should you use Plus Car? Well, other than their choice of fleet, they have 15 offices around the island of Lanzarote, their rentals automatically include a second driver, unlimited mileage, all taxes, all risks insurance without excess (apart from ESP group), minimum driving age of 23, free kiddies seats and even better than all that…….we have negotiated a special rate for Gay Lanzarote clients who book online in advance of arrival, simply fill out the quick enquiry form and we will reply confirming availability and the total price, or if you're ready to book, the reservation form is here.

Group B – Basic 3 door (Corsa / Fox) From €105 per week

Group C – Basic 5 door (Polo) From €115 per week

Group D – Air-conditioned 5 door (3 levels) From €128 per week

Level 1: Polo / Clio / Micra / Ibiza / Peugeot 207

Level 2: Fabia / Modus / VW Cross

Level 3: Nissan note / Seat Cordoba)

Group F – Full (6 levels) Fraom €165 per week

Level 1: Seat Leon / Peugeot 307

Level 2: VW Golf / Auris

Level 3: Scenic / Golf Plus

Level 4: Mercedes A Class

Level 5: Mercedes B Class

Level 6: BMW Series 1

Group G – Convertible (4 levels) From €190 per week

Level 1: Micra CC / Peugeot 207 CC

Level 2: VW Beetle Convertible

Level 3: Mini Convertible

Level 4: VW Eos Convertible / Peugeot 307 CC

Group I – People Carriers (3 levels) From €195 per week

Level 1: VW Caddy (7 pax)

Level 2: VW Touran (7 pax)

Level 3: VW Transporter (9 pax) / Primastar (9 pax)

Group J – People Carrier Full (Pathfiinder 7 pax) From €360 per week

Group K – Automatic (2 levels) From €160 per week

Level 1: Mercedes A Class Automatic

Level 2: Mercedes C Class Automatic

Group ESP – Special (3 levels) From €400 per week

Level 1: Audi A3

Level 2: Audi A4 Cabriolet / BMW 3 Cabriolet

Level 3: Mercedes SLK

Please note that the above photos are representative of the model.

Car hire - quick enquiry form
Car hire - reservation form

A very different short video from Lanzarote, with sounds created using the natural lava rock, pícon, water and including the voice of César Manrique.

Arrecife

Lanzarote’s capital of Arrecife has a fantastic plethora of shops, from individual boutiques, designer labels, surf & skate wear, fashion, jewellers and much more. Head for the main pedestrian street León y Castillo (Calle Real) but include Calle Fajardo, Calle José Antonio, work your way around the smaller side streets that feed off the pedestrian one.

Tomás Panasco, León y Castillo 11 – Beautiful designer clothes for men and women

Planet, Canalejas 3 / Quiroga 8 – Exclusive labels for men and women

[A]che, Calle José Antonio 30 – The best in furniture design

Animal & Quicksilver, Plaza de la Constitución – Surf wear for men, women and children

Don’t forget the shops are closed in the afternoon and Sundays in the capital! Monday to Friday 10am to 1.30pm and 5pm to 8pm, Saturday mornings only.

Puerto Calero

The marina at Puerto Calero offers easy parking and shopping without the crowds. You’ll find the best designer label shopping on the island including:

Armani Jeans, DKNY, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfieger, Gant, Lacoste and more.

Open everyday but different hours between 10am to 10pm.

Marina Rubicon

Individual shops amongst a wide range of café bars and restaurants including,

San Bábila – Italian clothes for men and women

Ferrer & Lacoste – Designer clothes for men and women

Lady Russ – Exclusive women’s clothing & accessories

Open everyday, hours not advertised.

Centro Comercial Deiland

The largest indoor shopping centre in Lanzarote, Deiland in Playa Honda has a supermarket, fast food, cinema, bowling and a mixture of shops such as:

Body Shop, Burbujitas (sports), Sony, Informatica, Tom Smith, Rip Curl, Stradivarius, Springfield, Cortefiel and many more.

Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 10pm.

Centro Comercial Biosfera

The newest shopping centre in Puerto del Carmen, Biosfera in Puerto del Carmen has a mixture of shops and restaurants with a large car park underneath and sea views:

Zara, Blanco, Bershka, Pull and Bear, Jack Jones, Foot Locker, Oyosho, Levis, Pimkie etc.

Open every day, Monday to Saturday 10am to 10pm and from 11am on Sunday.

The above are the main areas to browse and shop in Lanzarote, we’ll be bringing you an insider’s guide as to the local individual specialist and highly recommended shops.

 List of Lanzarote Artisans

Arte

Anneliese Guttenberger

César Manrique

Christian Honerkamp

Dominic Murray

Domingo Haría

Jaime Romero

Luis Villalba

Paco Chika

Ceramica

Stefan Schultz

If you are a local artist in Lanzarote and would like to be included on this list, please email us at info@gaylanza.com

The Lanzarote Gay Guide to Beaches in the North of the island……..

Órzola

From the town of Órzola heading South on the coast road there are lots of places to park and head over the road into the beautiful white sandy beaches. The sea can be rough along this coast but there are sheltered coves where you can get into the water to cool off. There are lots of secluded places if you want to get stripped off but discretion is advised as they aren’t recognised as nudist or gay friendly beaches.

Jameos del Agua

Apart from the fabulous centre at the Jameos del Agua, you can either take the path down to the sea or drive your car through the staff car park to access the beach which is popular with experienced surfers, windsurfers and kite surfers. Although not recognised as gay beaches the coastline here stretches for miles with lots of quiet  zones to chill and relax in.

Arrieta

A real popular beach with the locals, Playa La Garita offers great swimming, snorkelling and body boarding. There are two fantastic tapas bars right on the beach for a lazy lunch, swim and siestas. Not a nudist or gay beach, but highly recommended.

Charco del Palo

Both nudist and gay, this is the area to head for if you want it all! The naturist village of Charco del Palo isn’t signposted you need to head for Mala, look for the restaurant Don Quijote and take the side road between the restaurant and the Centro de Salud. Follow the road to the coast, swimming is available in two sea pools or via steps off the monkey rocks. There’s lots of sand and secluded areas along the coastal paths but no beach to speak of.

Let us know which beaches you like in the North of Lanzarote, add your comments below,  did we miss out one of your favourites?

Lanzarote Beaches, Central

This is a superb video from RèMale in New Jersey who was in Lanzarote for just a day, it covers his excursion to Timanfaya with camel rides, geyser, hot earth, Los Hervidores, Yaiza and really captures the beauty of Lanzarote.

A stunning aerial video of Lanzarote with the soundtrack from U2 "With or Without You".